Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/861257
– 146 – www.paradises.com — S r i L a n k a — boar, crocodiles, dugong and turtles. Flamingos and other migrating birds f lock to the lagoons, wetlands and sanctuaries during the northern winter. The sights Sri Lanka offers over 1300 kilometres of idyllic sandy beaches. With its year-round summer and two different weather systems, whatever the time of year, there's always a beach with sunshine and a choice of calm seas or steady surf depending on what you feel like. Beyond the stretch of calm, indigo- blue sea, a line of breaking waves marks the coral reef where recreational divers discover vividly coloured tropical fish and living corals. The ancient city of Anuradhapura was the capital of the island for more than 1400 years with its Buddhist monuments and royal ruins dating back 2000 years. Some best known sites include the Sacred Bo-Tree grown from a sapling of the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment; the Thuparamaya Dagoba, built in the third century BC and believed to contain the right collarbone of Buddha; Ruvan, the oldest historically documented tree in the world; and the seven storey Lovamahapaya, also known as the Brazen Place. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is southeast of Anuradhapura while the amazing Sigiriya Rock Fortress is the site of a sixth century fortified palace. Built by an obsessed monarch in the fifth century, Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, is an astonishing feat of engineering and construction. The most striking portion of Sigiriya, a terracotta and grey core of rock set in the cultural heart of Sri Lanka, rises a sheer 200 metres above a forested plain, its f lattened summit sloping gently. A series of moats, ramparts and water gardens, remnants of an ancient city, spread out on two sides of the rock, with the remains of a pair of giant stone lion's paws still guarding the staircase that leads to the summit, once occupied by a royal palace.The sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is preserved here at the Temple of the Tooth. Visit Kandy, which is 116 kilometres from Colombo and built around a peaceful lake that is surrounded by picturesque hills. Enroute to Kandy, and about 90 kilometres from Colombo visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, home to more than 109 elephants including adorable baby elephants that you can bathe and feed (with gigantic milk bottles!). Bathing time is 10am and 2pm, with feeding time an hour before.